Cafeteria goes from Styrofoam to green-on-the-go

Pioneer College Caterers, the company that provides food for students, administration and faculty on campus, has invested in a simpler, more environmentally friendly way for people to eat their meals outside the cafeteria.

“It doesn’t—in the end—cost you anything,” Renee Carrier, service manager of Pioneer College Caterers, said.

On Jan. 25 alone, 200 Styrofoam to-go boxes were taken from the caf, Carrier said.

“It’s just a really high number,” Carrier said.

As a result of this high number, Pioneer began requesting students’ class schedules before giving them to-go boxes.

Along with Pioneer, students were also concerned about the use of Styrofoam to-go boxes in the cafeteria, Carrier said.

To fix the problem, Pioneer has decided to use “Green-on-the-Go” containers as part of Pioneer’s Creation Care Study Program, a program created in order to be more eco-minded, Carrier said.

These reusable boxes have already begun being used by other schools to which Pioneer caters, and they were released on Trevecca’s campus this month.

The boxes contain a fork, knife and spoon. Students pay $5 for the containers at the beginning of the semester, and at the end of the semester, their money is returned to them, Carrier said.

The $5 down payment is to ensure that students return their boxes at the end of the semester, John Hampton, food service director of Pioneer, said.

After using the Green-on-the-Go containers outside the cafeteria, students should return the containers to the cafeteria, where they will be washed and used again. Students will then be given a card that is redeemable for another free rental, Carrier said.

“I think Trevecca students will really appreciate this and use it,” Carrier said.